Territory



(No Model.)

W. J. GARD, S. S. DALZELL & W. A. SHAPE-R.

AMALGAMATOR.

No. 476,955. Patented June 14, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. GARD, SAMUEL S. DALZELL, AND WILLIAM A. SHAFER, OF MOAB, UTAHTERRITORY.

AMALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,955, dated June 14,1892.

Application filed October 13, 1891. Serial No. 408,574. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern;

I Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. GARD, SAMUEL S. DALZELL, and WILLIAM;A. SHA- FER, citizens of the United States, residing at Moab, in thecounty of Grand and Territory of Utah, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Amalgamators; and we do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Our invention has for its object to provide an amalgamator that can becheaply operated and that will be thoroughly efficient in separating thevalue from the dirt, &c.; and for this purpose we introduce the paydirt,mixed with water, at the bottom of the mercury, through which they willrise, the value being taken up by the mercury as it passes therethrough,and we use hydrostatic pressure to cause this feed of the pay-dirt atthe bottom of the mercury, the resistance of which latter must beovercome by the hydrostatic pressure in order that the descending leg orchute remain unobstructed.

Our invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the parts of which it is composed, as will be hereinaftermore fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts aredesignated by corresponding numerals, Figure 1 is a perspective view ofan amalgamator constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 isa central longitudinal section thereof.

As shown in the drawings, we construct a box 1, having the side walls 22 and the front and rear walls 3 and 4, the latter of which, togetherwith the central partition 5, extends above the front wall, the saidpartition terminatin g slightly above the bottom of the box, forming apassage 6, connecting the lower ends of the chute or leg 7, formed bythe partition and the rear wall, and of the uptake 8, formed by thepartition and the front wall. The upper end of the leg is covered by agrating 9 to prevent the introduction of stones, &c., by the water. Arecess 6 is formed in the lower end of the partition 5, opening into theuptake, while a rib or projection 7 is so cured to the said partitionabove the said recess, corresponding ribs 8 being alternately secured tothe front wall and to the partition to any desired extent. The upper endof the uptake is restricted in area by means of a block 9, insertedtherein and secured to the partition. A board 10 is pivoted upon theupper end of the front Wall and is adapted by a pivotal movement thereonto vary the area of the upper end of the uptake, whereby the dischargetherefrom can be correspondingly varied. A spring 11, secured to theouter face of the board and the front wall,

tends to normally draw the latter to a position to open the uptake toits fullest extent; but the board may be secured in any desired positionby causing the lug 12, projecting from one of the side walls, to engageany one of the serrations 14, formed upon the upwardly-turned end 15 ofthe dischargingdip 16, which latter is secured to the upper end of theboard 10. A plug 17 is inserted in a suitable aperture in the base ofone of the sides, whereby the amalgam can be with drawn, if desired.

In the operation of our invention the mercury is poured into the bottomof the box and the water carrying the pay-dirt is fed into the leg,which is of a sufficient height to permit the weight of the watercontained therein to be greater, inch for inch, than the weight of themercury, which will thus be forced into the base of the uptake, where itwill be traversed by ascending currents of water from the leg, whichwill by their intimate contact with the mercury, cause most of theirvalue to unite with the latter. The water will, after passing throughthe mercury, be thrown into an eddy formed by the recess 6,immediatelyabove the mercury, being thus thrown again and again across the surfaceof the latter. Escaping from the eddy, the upward path of the water willbe intercepted by the ribs 7" and 8, thus retarding it sulficiently tocause any particles of value that may have escaped from the mercury tofall back upon the latter. It is evident that the velocity of the flowof the water through the box may be regulated by the board 10, as may bedemanded by the character of the material operated upon, and it is alsoevident that the leg must be of a sufficient height to provide ahydrostatic pressure greater than the combined Weight of the mercury andof the back water contained in the uptake between the upper level of themercury and the discharge.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- The combination,with side walls, of front and rear walls,a partition contained betweenthe said front and rear Walls, the said partition terminating above thebottom of the box thus formed and continuing, together with the rearwall,to above the level of the front wall, the said partition having arecess in the forward face of its lower end, ribs alternately secured tothe forward face of the said partition and the rear face of the saidfront wall, and a board pivoted above the upper end of the said frontwall, substantially as described. In testimony whereof we aflix oursignatures in presence of two Witnesses.

\VILLIAH J. GARD. SAMUEL S. DALZELL. WVILLIAM A. SHAFER. WVitnesses:

ANGUS M. STOCKS, FRANK M. SHAFER.

